Last week’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling that struck down a key provision of the Voting Rights Act has prompted emphatically different reactions in Gaston County.

Republican leaders have hailed the court’s 5-4 decision for removing a safeguard they say hasn’t been needed for years in North Carolina. The protections against voter discrimination that the law sought to provide in 1965 are no longer necessary, GOP officials argue.

But Democrats view the ruling as an ominous sign that a window to voter discrimination is opening again, after being closed nearly half a century. And they fear it will pave the way for the GOP to enact new voting requirements in this state that could infringe on people’s ability to easily cast a ballot.

The Supreme Court’s verdict retained Section 5 of the landmark Voting Rights Act, which gives the Justice Department oversight over voting laws in some states. But it abolished the formula that served as the roadmap for that supervision.

Section 5 covers 40 of North Carolina’s 100 counties, including Gaston and Cleveland. But it has had a longstanding impact across the entire state. The Justice Department has rejected North Carolina redistricting plans eight times since 1981.

Gaston County NAACP President Charles Whitesides referred to the ruling as a huge disappointment.

“Tuesday’s decision is a step back and a slap in the face to minorities, and some whites,” he said. “This was a process that was working well to ensure fairness in voting practices for all.”

Gaston County Republican Party Chairman Don Grant disagrees.

“I think it’s a good ruling,” he said. “I think the system needs to be brought in line with the way things are today, and not the way things were in the mid-60s.”

Voter ID legislation likely coming

The 1965 law has most often held voting districts in check. But the most direct evidence of the court decision will likely be seen in a GOP push for new voter ID requirements in North Carolina.

Lawmakers expect a Senate committee to introduce a new voter ID bill as soon as this week. In April, the House voted along party lines in passing an ID bill.

Grant said in the modern day, there should be less reason to fear that malevolent tactics might be used to sway elections by disenfranchising minority voters.

“I feel like the climate right now is much, much different than it has been in the past,” he said. “I think there are a lot more eyes on the precincts and the voting process to make sure voting is on the up and up.”

But Grant believes new voter ID requirements would only help to ensure trust in the electoral process here.

“Voting is a very important right to all citizens, and if they take it seriously, they shouldn’t have a problem presenting ID,” he said. “I think it’s only fair you prove who you say you are and that it’s one person and one vote.”

Whitesides is among those who question the need for such supposed safeguards, when confirmed cases of voter fraud have been few and far between. He contends it will primarily keep low-income voters away from the polls.

“I am disappointed we have come to this point in history where our government has seen the need to waste tax money on a legislative wheel that really isn’t broken,” he said.

Gaston County Democratic Party Chairman Jamar McKoy said there are serious questions about how the cash-strapped state and counties would pay for implementing new voter ID requirements. Rather than scrutinizing in-person voting that takes place under the watch of precinct workers, he said lawmakers should focus more on potential abuse of absentee voting.

McKoy said he was bothered by the regressive nature of the Supreme Court ruling.

“With one fell swoop of the pen, they overturned all the blood, sweat and tears that people marched and fought for,” he said. “Now they’ve deemed history to be invalid.”

You can reach Michael Barrett at 704-869-1826 or twitter.com/GazetteMike.